Matt Rowe produces a music-related website, MusicTAP, news about all types of music and will now be writing a blog for The Daily Leader. Matt grew up in the Streator area, relocated to Southern California for nearly 30 years, and has since
...

Matt Rowe produces a music-related website, MusicTAP, news about all types of music and will now be writing a blog for The Daily Leader. Matt grew up in the Streator area, relocated to Southern California for nearly 30 years, and has since relocated back to the local area. A columnist for The Morton Report, Matt is quite knowledgeable and connected in the music world.

Not long ago, I reported in these pages that Legacy would be releasing a Complete Albums Collection for Paul Simon on October 15. During his career, Mr. Simon delivered a wealth of classic albums, most in the '70s and '80s. This set will contain all of those. Certainly, this box will appeal to the serious fan of Paul Simon, especially with the offer of bonus tracks (37 of 'em), and a detailed 56-page book included with the box.

But not everyone wants a pricey set like that to get a nice batch of familiar Paul Simon classics. Sometimes, all you want is just a well assembled 'best of' that provides everything that we have come to love about the artist that came from the popular duo, Simon & Garfunkel. And while they're at it, throw in a few of those gems as well. Right?

On October 15, you can have your pick. In addition to the expansive box, Legacy Recordings and Columbia Records will release a carefully selected single CD of twenty great Simon classics that will also include a few Simon & Garfunkel songs that were penned by Paul Simon himself.

Delivering a chronologically sequenced album that begins with “The Sound Of Silence”, and moves through “America”, “The Boxer”, “Cecilia”, “The Only Living Boy In New York”, and the beautiful, timeless, and multi-award-winning Hall of Fame tune, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” before approaching Simon's solo years, the collection, which is called Over The Bridge Of Time: A Paul Simon Retrospective (1964-2011), is expected to be a grand pick-up for any fan.

This set scours Simon's works beginning with “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard”, and working through with “Mother And Child Reunion”, “American Tune”, the entertaining “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” (remember, just sneak out the back, Jack...and set yourself free), “Still Crazy After All Of These Years”, “Slip Slidin' Away” from the '70s. The '80s delivered tracks like “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes”, and “You Can Call Me Al”, both from his illustrious and award-winning (it won an Album Of The Year Grammy Award) Graceland. The remaining songs on this set stretch out from his '90s and new millennium sets.

I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to enjoy all of these songs in a single play album. I'm betting you are too!